Soiled vehicle surfaces have been cleaned for many years using a variety of compositions and methods. Such compositions can be as simple as solutions of organic dish soaps or common all-purpose utility cleaners. In commercial or industrial vehicle cleaning such as semi-automatic and completely automatic car washes, a variety of cleaning materials have been used in a cleaning system that can often contain a pre-rinse or pre-cleaning step, a cleaning step followed by a combination of one or more steps using waxes, rinses, anti-rust agents, mechanical dryers, etc. Such vehicle cleaning operations can be embodied in a retail cleaning operations designed for cleaning vehicles by personal owners or by car wash personnel. Such cleaning stations can also include stations operated by car rental agencies, retail car dealerships, automobile fleet operators, bus sheds, train depots, airplane maintenance buildings, etc.
One class of commonly available automotive cleaning materials contain a variety of anionic surfactants that is used in conjunction with compatible nonionic surfactants, sequestrants, waxes and other ingredients.
Hydrocarbon wax compositions, applied after the aforementioned cleaning step, promote a shiny finish and are blended to promote removal of water from the vehicle surfaces. Such waxes also often contain a wax with anionic or nonionic surfactants, anti-rust agents and other components that form a fully functional system that can dewater automobiles leaving a dry shiny finish.
A second class of waxing composition is commonly available including a typical formulation containing surfactants, solvents and a silicone wax-like material that forms a shiny surface. Silicones are well known, very hydrophobic materials that when used in vehicle waxing compositions with other components such as nonionic detergents, anti-rust agents, etc. to form a shiny, dry vehicle surface.
One common theme in the prior art cleaning compositions is an anionic material (typically a sulfonate or sulfate surfactant), while the prior art waxing compositions require hydrocarbon or silicone wax materials.
Amine compounds have also been commonly formulated in hydrocarbon containing and silicone containing wax compositions and compositions that contain both hydrocarbons and silicants. For example, Chestochowski et al., U.S. Pat. No. 3,440,063 teaches fatty amine-organic acid salts in car wash formulations. Baker et al., U.S. Pat. No. 3,592,669 discloses a hydrocarbon wax composition containing a fatty alkyl amine in a transparent film forming composition. Cifuentes et al., U.S. Pat. No. 5,258,063 discloses a gloss improving foam for use on vehicle surfaces. The film combines waxes with an alkyl cyclohexyl amine. Herring, GB 1,349,447 discloses a car polish composition comprising a paraffin wax combined with an alkyl diamine. Lastly, ABE, WO 92-22632 discloses a water repellent car window washing composition using a fatty amine acetate salt in combination with a hydrocarbon solvent and silicone wax in a complex formula containing a fluorocarbon active material. Fatty alkyl amines typically have the formula R-NH.sub.2 wherein R is a hydrocarbon group that can have 1-3 unsaturated bonds but contain 6-24 straight chain carbon atoms.
Eriksson, WO 92-08823 discloses cleaning and degreasing agent containing an ethoxylated alkyl amine. Eriksson, EP 43360 teaches a metal corrosion protector comprising an ethoxylated amine composition. Lemin et al., GB 2,036,783 discloses a water repellent foam using a cationic dewatering agent comprising an ethoxylated amine that can also use an optional anti-static agent. Fatty ethanol amine amide compounds have been disclosed in, for example, in Bayless, U.S. Pat. No. 5,330,673 for use in adhesives and cleaners. Further, JP 06-145603 teaches a dewatering film form using triethanolamine and a hydrocarbon wax or silicone wax. JP 05-156289 teaches a vehicle cleaner containing short chain water soluble amines. Lastly, JP 03-024200 teaches a detergent for soil removal on vehicles using a short chain aqueous or nonaqueous amine.
Fox, U.S. Pat. No. 4,284,435 teach a car wash composition using an ethoxylated quaternary amine composition. Karalis et al., U.S. Pat. No. 4,864,060 teaches a car wash composition combining a quaternary ammonium compound and an amine oxide material. Betty, Jr. et al., U.S. Pat. No. 3,756,835 teaches an auto polish that combine a quaternary ammonium compound and an ethoxylated amine and a petroleum mineral oil. Tarr, U.S. Pat. No. 5,221,329 teaches a water repellent material used as a coating for aircraft comprising a quaternary ammonium compound and a saline compound. JP 03-262763 and JP 58-076477 disclose car wash compositions and anti-spotting coating compositions that can contain quaternary amine materials in combination with additives such as waxes, cationic surfactants, etc.
These prior art vehicle cleaning materials have had some success in the marketplace. However, the marketplace continually searches for materials having improved properties. Properties that can always use improvement include the gloss of the cleaned vehicle surface, the rate and amount of dewatering, water spotting on glass or painted surfaces, concentrate stability, solution clarity and overall ease of preparing aqueous dilutions from the aqueous concentrate materials. The marketplace has continually searched for improvements in aqueous systems containing organic cleaner materials that can have improved soil removal, improved gloss in the final vehicle surface, reduced spotting and improved dewatering. Lastly, the environmental compatibility of the hydrocarbon and silicone wax-like materials has been questioned in recent years. A substantial need exists to develop vehicle cleaners and rinses that can clean and shine with minimal aqueous residue in touchless or cloth or brush systems.